


Overdose

by FreedbyWings



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Addiction, Alcohol, Angst, Bigotry & Prejudice, Comfort, Drug Abuse, Drug Use, M/M, Slurs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 07:40:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14076087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreedbyWings/pseuds/FreedbyWings
Summary: If I ever told you I'd be here in my life I'd likely not even believe myself.(In which Yusei is a bartender with drug abuse issues and Atem is the 'ignorant' city slicker)





	Overdose

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ChatoyantPenumbra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChatoyantPenumbra/gifts).



> I'm not really actually into Syncroshipping I purely wrote this for a friend who is and wanted a fic about a bartender Yusei. I just had to add the angst to it because that's kind of what I do... 
> 
> Listened to Grandson's song Overdose as inspiration while writing this.

I never knew my parents, I never lived a luxurious life but then again who did who lived in Satellite? I started an orphan, disbanded from the foster home I was graced with only to go with the friends I made at said home to form a sort of group... Named Team Satisfaction. Our leader, and friend was a man whom I knew as Kiryu Kyosuke. 

His mentality was one of a god like sort, of course we all didn't see that until much later in our lives. We were fifteen, young, frivolous, inexperienced, and most importantly had the most stubborn hopeful optimism that we could be the change - That we could rule this suburb. We were all on board with Kiryu, it was the four of us against the world.

We made so much progress - The map we blacked out with our progress of our take over was almost completely blacked out. Though we noticed Kiryu's attitude slowly changing. He had always been facetious, but this was getting more on the twisted side. We all saw each other as brothers, friends and family - But our family broke when the other two of our group left unable to take Kiryu's idealistic ideas after multiple arguments of trying to persuade him that he was going too far. 

I stayed. Thinking back I don't know why I made such a reckless decision, maybe I was too loyal but I think it was mostly that I was naive and still had that unwavering trust and hope within him. 

I was wrong to keep following him however, he got sucked up by Satellite as most do. He turned hopeless and to drugs - Anything to try and keep his focus, sanity and his idealistic sanctuary in his head. I defended him until the very end however even when he was arrested - I tried to take the blame but they saw through me - Probably because I was completely transparent with my naivety. I always tried to stop him from continuing with the paraphernalia but no matter how many times I argued with him, wrestled with his hands to get the needles out of his hands he would always end up winning. Addiction, corruption - It's something that will always overpower even if there is an taunting need to be sober.

 

How I made it here I'll never know. I hated drunks, yet here I was in some shady bar in the grimy alleys of Satellite bar tending. I never thought I would like it, but yet here I was mixing and entertaining enjoying myself - Or so I thought I did. Sometimes I wonder if I just told myself that to keep some sense of normality. To keep living - Because my frugal naivety fleeted me long ago and I knew there was no getting to that artificial city off in the distance. 

Sighing I brushed a hand over my cheek, fingers grazing just over the marker which had been engraved upon my skin deeming me a 'criminal.' I blinked when I heard my name called - A regular and slid him over his usual. 

There was a squeak of the door as it opened and I looked up from wiping the counter. Someone... New? That was odd... That never happened. Squinting I looked a bit closer and I couldn't help the grimace that spread over my face - He was clean looking... Too clean looking. No muss, nothing out of place everything exactly where it should be - Not even a stray hair fell out of his extravagant hairstyle. 

_What the hell is a city slicker doing here?_ I pondered as he walked in and made a beeline for the bar as if he owned and damn near commanded the place. He cleared his throat and I resisted rolling my eyes - So entitled, definitely the city type. 

"What can I get you?" I asked with the most 'chipper' voice I could muster, though it ultimately came out a bit gruff. 

"A paralyzer please." Even his voice sounded entitled - commanding. The formality of adding the 'please' didn't even sound like he meant it even if he had uttered it. 

"Not starting out light are we?" I commented as I got to work making the drink grabbing the vodka, kahlua, milk and soda gun.

Turning, I grabbed a straw and stuck it in the glass, ice cubes jammed between the plastic. Sliding it over I smirked at him as if to remind him who really was in charge here - "Here you go rockstar."

He blinked, taken a bit aback as he nodded and slowly thanked me. The words drawn out as he scrutinized my face. He took a sip of his drink, looking away quickly once he saw my eyes narrow.

_That's right, take a fucking picture it'll last longer. I have a fucking mark - stop staring asshole."_

Little did I know that wasn't what he was staring at at all.

 

Fingers tapped against lips as the 'city slicker' tilted his head eyes following the bartender as he walked off from behind the counter most likely for a break. About fifteen minutes he came back but he seemed more focused, uplifted even. He rose a brow as he looked up to the man behind the counter and were his pupils... Dilated? Was this guy high?

There was a twitch of his head as he sniffed wiping the back of his hand against his nose as he made another drink. It frustrated me, but at the same time it also made me worry - And that's what made me come back every night for a week straight.

It wasn't until near the end of the week I noticed he wasn't even there anymore. I asked who was taking over where he was and they said he had called out the day before but today he just hadn't even shown up or bothered to call.

I shoved my hands into my pockets as I walked outside later on in the night after taking few and inbetween sips of my drink at the bar. Walking down the alleyways I kicked at the gravel under my feet watching boringly as the stones launched in front of me. Though when one skidded to a hop against someone's leg I stopped to apologize only for my eyes to widen. There, against the wall was the bartender, head lulled against the concrete wall, arms palm up, breathing heavy with numerous needs scattered around him - A container tossed off to the side with more needles spilling out of it. Just... How many shots had he taken? Was he even alive? Well, he was breathing so he must be unless he was in some sort of OD'd coma - Was that even possible? The 'city slicker' truly didn't know.

"Yusei?" He hesitantly asked as he took a step forward.

* * *

  
The first time I shot up I was so nervous. My hands shook and I looked down to my arm vision blurred, terrified if I should even attempt this. But snorting wasn't doing anything anymore - It wore off far too fast or didn't even effect me at all anymore - so with that as motivation I injected the drug straight into my veins. 

It was intense - Much more intense than snorting. I felt my breath get taken away - Instant rush of cold bursting through my veins my vision faded in and out until everything got white and white noised filled my head before coming back down to this world.

I felt on top of the world once again - and I was addicted - Anything to give me a little burst of serotonin.

So when the shots stopped working it was more frustrating than ever.

Shooting up became easy. I'd sit down take out a fresh needle from my stash and flick my finger against the vile before flooding my veins. 

But one shot, became two and when nothing still came bursting through I screamed in frustration throwing the case across the pavement needles and vials splaying over the ground. Hyperventilating I dropped down against the wall holding my hands against my head as I screamed in frustration, eyes watering as I held back the tears.

I just wanted that feeling again - Anything to feel that little bit of serotonin.

My arms fell and my head lulled back against the wall, lips curling into a smirk as I felt myself loosing it. My hearing was still a mixture of squeals and white noise so the cocaine must have been doing something but it wasn't enough. It wasn't until I realized that I was hearing my name through the garbled mess that I tilted my head forward looking towards the source and I was instantly on the defensive.

_"How do you know my name rockstar?"_

He rolled his eyes - He fucking dared and had the audacity to roll his eyes as he answered my question. "Kind of hard to miss when every drunk patron is shouting your name for another drink. Question though, why do you call me rockstar and what the hell is going on here?" He asked motioning to the needles scattered across the ground.

I chuckled, though I could even hear that it was hollow. _"Because you look like one. You're so prim and proper - What would you rather me call you city slicker?"_

"Atem." His eyes narrowed, zoning in on me and I felt chills go through me - Though this definitely wasn't from the cocaine as he glared. "You still didn't tell me what this whole 'situation' here is." 

I rolled my eyes as I made my way to get up and I wobbled, crumpling and I felt myself become supported rather than crashing to the ground as I had expected when my knees buckled. I looked up to the source only to chuckle, eyes hazed over, pupils dilated. _"Heh, good catch. Thanks I guess... And don't have a friggin' canary I always use new needles."_

I heard him hiss under his breath before I heard and then felt the aftereffects of a resounding slap my head snapping to the side as I realized he had slapped me **_hard_** against the face. 

"Are you really that pathetic?" He asked never letting up on that murderous glare. "You could have died - Quite frankly I'm surprised you even still are alive." 

I spat at him, he flinched as saliva hit him in the face. _"Remind me, **when the fuck** I cared what some ignorant, selfish, full of himself pompous city slicking asshole thought?"_

His grip tightened as he lifted me by my shirt before dropping me back to my ass. I winced as I ended up biting my tongue through the seething pain.

"Tell me how. How you ended up this way - and don't argue with me. Indulge this 'city slicker' for once." He commanded and I knew he wasn't fucking around so I simply sighed and complied.

"It's a long ass story are you sure you're up for it?" I asked feeling my voice beginning to sober up. I forgot how quick the effects of cocaine wore off - Even when I wasn't really feeling it the effects had definitely still been there.

"I said indulge." He commanded again and I sighed leaving out the part about being an orphan but told of my friends and my stupid young naive self.

"Though..." I continued. "I actually somehow managed to work at this ritzy hotel bar tending there. It was stressful though, I've never liked drunks and I thought weed would be enough after a hard day - and at first it was. It chilled me out and that was enough. But then my boss got harder on me, told me I wasn't focusing enough and that I wasn't fast enough. That's when I upgraded to snorting coke - I was quicker, focused and felt like I could do anything. It wasn't until I was caught with powder on my nose after coming out of the bathroom that I had been fired. I still needed to make money and I still wanted some kind of normality so I ended up here at this seedy bar. I know I screwed up, Satellite scum as myself working at a higher class hotel just on the burbs of the city - yet just out of Satellite? Talk about royally fucking up I know." I fidgeted, picking skin from my fingers.

"You know... I never use to like people who did drugs. I told you about my friend Kiryu - And I thought it was so stupid how people could get so fucked on all this shit but when you truly lose hope and it's the only thing that's keeping the one thread left keeping you held together keeping strong and not fraying nor snapping you tend to depend on it. But I really... I get frustrated with myself with all the opportunities I've thrown away but it's something I always fall back on no matter how many times I try to be sober. A few months ago, when I still had some of that foolish hope I tried to escape to the city through a trash chute and build a better future of opportunities not only for myself but my friends as well and well... Look where that got me." I sighed gesturing to the criminal marker on my face.

"It's not foolish... To hope." He commented as he knelt down to look at me.

"Heh... What would you know? You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth - You don't know what we have to go through here."

"Are you really that selfish? Has your self deprecation really tainted your morals that much? Because from the stories you told me and from what I felt about you from the first time I saw you Yusei I don't think you're the man to be this selfish, are you?"

I blinked looking down at the ground. "I just... I don't even know anymore."

"Let me help you. I'll get you out of here - I'll smuggle you back into the city."

I blinked looking up at him shocked, eyes gradually opening wider. "Why would you-"

"Because you deserve a second chance and I know you won't just take it for granted - I know you'll reciprocate it to me some day."

He offered me a hand that day and I took it as he boosted me from the ground getting me to my feet.

And through all the tremors, nightmares and screams he helped me through the dry spells of the paraphernalia I could no longer obtain.

And now... Now I smile as I wake up to him every morning and I tilt his head up before I get ready for the day giving him a soft kiss on the lips; "Morning rockstar."


End file.
